Late in the Fifteenth Century, Lazarus Berna emigrated to Thayngen, Canton
Schaffhausen, Switzerland from the vicinity of Debreden, Hungary. Over the
years, the family name was altered to Bernat, and then to Bernath. Beginning
In the mid-Nineteenth Century, some of his descendants bagan to emigrate
from Thayngen to North America and Australia, although Thayngen remains
a Bernath center. In 2000, there were twenty-four Bernath entries in the
town's telephone directory. There are also many Bernath families in the
North America that trace their lineage directly to Hungary.

The Kanton Schaffhausen Familienschien indicates that only
the children of Hans Konrad Bernath and Barbara Ogg Bernath emigrated from
Thayngen, that the eldest son Clemens, emigrated to North America prior
to his mother's death in 1856, that four of his siblings followed in 1857,
and that another Brother, Johannes, emigrated to Australia the following
year. But in fact, the widowed Hans Konrad did accompany five of his children
to North America. The KSF gives his birthdate as March 14, 1804.
He died November 21, 1871-2 and is buried in Knox Presbyterian Cemetery,
Cranbrook, Ontario.

Hans Konrad and his children landed in New York, intending to settle
in the United States, but because he feared his sons would be conscripted
to fight in the American Civil War, the family settled in Canada. By 1859,
they had established themselves on a farm near Ethel, Ontario. [Concession
10, Lot 39, Grey Twp., Huron County]. Clemens later farmed in Wellington
County, [The 10th of Wallace], Barbara married the farmer on an adjacent
farm, Conrad farmed with his father, and Jacob became a railroader. In 1879,
Johann George returned to the United States, homesteading in the Joe River
community, near St. Vincent Minnesota.

Johann, who, with four friends, had headed to Australia aboard the Scottish
Chief, would settle near Geelong, Victoria,fail at growing grapevines,
raise "stoned" fruits instead, and fail at that enterprise as
well.

Within a century-and-a-half, Hans Konrad and Barbara's descendants had
settled in the Canadian Provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta
and British Columbia; the U.S. States of Minnesota, North Dakota, Washington,
California, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia,
Pennsylvania, and New York; and in the Australian States of Victoria, New
South Wales and Queensland.

It has many gaps and will continually require fresh addenda. It will
never be finished. But from the beginning until now, someone has stepped
forward to carry it into the next generation. My prayer is that I will not
be the last to do so.